Free Broken Aro (The Broken Ones) by Jen Wylie Page A

growl of frustration escaped his lips. "Humans
wouldn't understand it. They would be afraid I did something bad to you. And
people like me, well… I don't know if it's really allowed. So..."
    "I understand," she said quickly, before he
started his quick talking again. She grinned. "We've our first secret?"
    "Aye," he said with a chuckle. He pulled her
in close to him as he shifted to lean again against the hull. "Now go to
sleep, little Aro. I will watch over you."
    She did easily, because she suddenly felt safe. She
wasn't alone anymore. He wouldn't leave her. He'd promised.

Chapter 6
    Mother of All Storms
     
     
    Faint light shone down into the cell again as she woke,
nestled against Kei's side. She blinked and shifted away quickly, her cheeks
coloring. Not only was Kei not one of her brothers, she was also supposed to be
a boy. What would everyone think? The men of course, were all up.
    Everyone stood about the hold, even Prince. Looking
down, the reason became quickly apparent. The straw covering the cell floor had
become a soggy mess overnight.
    "Morning, Aro," Kei said quietly as he
stood.
    She scrambled to her feet, keeping her head down. "Morning."
    She peeked up at him, catching his small smile. This
was the first time she'd seen him so close, even if the light was poor.
Surprisingly, he looked almost exactly as she'd imagined. He was boyishly
handsome, his face round with high, defined cheekbones, and his chin slightly
pointed. His skin had been tanned gold and perfect, his eyes a yellow gold and
not human at all. Slightly pointed ears showed through his light brown, spiky
hair. He certainly looked like she imagined a Fey should.
    Kendric walked over, the straw squishing under his
boots, and held out his hand. "Hey, Aro. Here. They fed us today."
    She stared at his hand and the dark lump in it. Her
nose wrinkled. "That's food?" She peered up at him through her hair
as she took it. "What is it?"
    He made a face. "Bread. A bit dirty, but no bugs
at least."
    She stared at it. Even as starving as she was, she
didn't want to put it in her mouth.
    "Eat it," he said firmly. "We all ate
ours."
    She looked at Kei and he nodded. She noticed how
Kendric saw the exchange and raised his eyebrows, yet he didn't do anything but
smile slightly. That was odd. He had seemed so protective of her before. Maybe
he and Kei had already spoken before she woke up. Either way, she somehow
managed to choke the hard, dry stuff down.
    The day went by slowly. Kei introduced her to Avery. He
was, Kei told her, a good friend of his. They had served together in the fifth
since he had joined with them. She liked him and they got along well, even
though they said little to each other. It came as no surprise. None of the
passengers were chatty. Chains tended to have that effect on people. He didn't
seem to mind how she hovered by Kei, or the Fey hovered around her. In fact,
she caught Avery grinning at them both a few times as if immensely pleased.
Perhaps it was because Kei had obviously found a new friend. She wasn't exactly
sure, but didn't really care. As long he remained close she felt safe. He
helped to keep the panic and loneliness away.
    Kendric checked on her a few times before always
returning to stand with Cain and Bo. The three of them together didn't really
surprise her. They had to be at least a good ten years older than the rest of
them. Prince remained off in the corner by himself. She noticed she had been
right; he was very tall. He stood a few good inches at least over all the
others.
    She spent the day staring at the walls, the cell bars,
the men, and the slowly rising water. It helped her to not think of where they
were, where they were going, and what would happen in the days ahead. The wind
and rain continued, occasionally picking up before dying down again.
    The only excitement occurred when the slavers would
come down. Each time Kei moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from
view. Twice the slavers left, dragging